


Loving Me for Me

by Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Cuddles, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Nature Gays, No Angst, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-11 14:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19929688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Succubusphan/pseuds/Nefertiti1052
Summary: Dan and Phil decide to take some time to disconnect after Vidcon and rent a tiny house.





	Loving Me for Me

**Author's Note:**

> A/n: This fic was written for the @phandomreversebang 2019. This came together as a collab to replace an entire team who dropped out, thank you to my friends from the #catgang who humour me as usual. Thank you to @ninnapons who created the absolutely adorable art piece and helped me put this idea together. Thank you to my dearest @artlessdynamite who was my amazing beta as always. Thank you so much for being amazing friends and always jumping to the rescue, this was super fun to make.
> 
> The mood of this fic was inspired by the song “Loving Me for Me” by Christina Aguilera.
> 
> [Art Link](https://ninnapons.tumblr.com/post/186472336783/another-phandomreversebang-this-time-with/)

With the sun shining bright in the sky, they arrived at their destination and bid their friends goodbye. Dan breathed in closing his eyes. He listened to the quiet hum of the wind ruffling the leaves of the trees, the different types of birds singing and the murmur of water running down a nearby stream. This was exactly what he had imagined. 

Dan heard Phil give a content sigh beside him.

“This is amazing,” Dan smiled finally opening his eyes.

“It is. Come on, let’s go have a look inside,” Phil said taking his hand and dragging him along towards the tiny house. 

They walked down the path towards what would be their home for the next week, looking around and marbling at the sight. As they approached the clearing where it was situated, they saw the small zen garden right beside it, an adorable herb garden perched on the window sill and patches of different kinds of flowers dotted around the house that seemed to have been intentionally planted more than part of the original flora of the forest. Trees towered the surrounding area providing shade and an amazing smell that ensnared the senses in the loveliest way.

The most prominent exterior features of the tiny house were the outdoor shower and the reading nook/ sitting area, stuffed with too many cushions that looked incredibly inviting. The fairy lights surrounding it made it look almost magical. 

Phil finally pulled the door open and let Dan enter first. The word that first came to mind when setting foot into the house was _cosy_. The main floor was mostly dedicated to the living room area containing a sofa of the amazingly comfortable kind which was so plump it’s actually hard to get up from, and a TV set. To the right was the kitchen with rustic wood counter space and open cabinets fully stocked for their needs: There were pots, pans, an espresso machine, and most importantly, a framed note in cursive writing including the wifi password, emergency numbers and a few details on the house perks. On the opposite side was the bathroom with flushing toilet, some storage cabinets and its own small bathtub and shower. 

Dan deeply inhaled the smell of the cedar covering the entire interior of the house and turned around smiling. He looked at Phil who smiled back excitedly. 

“This is amazing!”

“I know! Let’s go check out the loft,” Dan said dropping his backpack on the sofa. Phil left his suitcase and followed him.

He climbed up the stairs being mindful of not hitting his head on the ceiling and crawled in. The space was fairly big; there was more than enough room to sit upright but not enough to stand as it was customary for this type of construction. A king size mattress took most of the space but the definite star of this space was the double skylight right above it. Around the entire space, there were plenty of healthy plants and a good collection of books placed on different shelves in a colour coordinated manner.

Phil crawled onto the bed and laid down on the assorted selection of colourful pillows. “I didn’t see these in the pictures. We can look at the starts before we fall asleep,” he said pointing to the skylights.

Dan smiled and laid right beside him trying to look up but laughed and hid his face on Phil’s shoulder when the passing cloud moved, letting the sunlight blind him momentarily. Phil laughed as well and kissed Dan’s nose as he squinted his eyes, trying to avoid a similar fate.

* * *

It didn’t take long for them to unpack as they had barely packed any clothes; fashion was not the focal point of this trip. After their coming out videos, Vidcon, and their road trip with Martin and Cornelia, they wanted to spend some time alone and away from everything and everyone. Dan had been watching more and more tiny house videos recently, inspired by the downsizing mood the last tour had left him in, and this had resulted in him asking Phil for them to go live that teenage dream of leaving everything behind and go live in the woods - even if it was for a few days.

He had searched for a rental on Airbnb and the most beautiful ones he’d found were situated in Canada. That part of the planning stage hadn’t been hard at all, but deciding on what devices to bring actually was. Phil had been excited to experience the minimalist way of living but he wanted it to be completely different than being at home. Dan was reluctant to let his laptop and phone go for an entire week, so after a long debate, they reached an agreement: They would pack their laptops to watch movies at night, as well as their phones but not before deleting every social media app and game from them. 

The goal was simple, to disconnect from the chaotic nature of the city life and the pressure of feeling like they were constantly being watched. No work, no phone calls, no vlogging, not even trying to obtain Instagram worthy pictures to post long after they had left.

Dan thought that he might just go mad from trying to live without the endless scroll on his Instagram feed or the stupid Twitter arguments. But within a few hours of walking around the forest, using the rake in the zen garden and reading a few hundred pages of an actual book sitting in the sunlight, he was able to calm down and he felt more at peace than he had in, well, ever. 

He considered himself lucky; if there was one person in the entire world who he could tolerate a week of silences and really sharing a condensed space with, it was Phil. That was definitely the best part of being in a committed relationship with your best friend - not wanting to murder them as much. 

He made his way back to the house in search of his boyfriend but didn’t find him napping as he had left him. Instead, he followed the sound of the shower to the back garden. 

The outdoor shower was situated behind the house and had a waist height cedar wall to provide some privacy from potential onlookers whilst still facing the forest; it really felt like a little piece of heaven.

“Hi, fancy seeing you here,” Dan said wiggling his eyebrows. 

Phil put his hand right below the showerhead sending water directly to Dan’s face. “No peeping!”

Dan jumped out of the way, putting his hand in front of his eyes but not really covering them as he had them purposely spread to peak in between them. “I’m not looking!” He laughed.

Phil leaned over the wall and kissed him softly. “Go start dinner, I’ll be there to help in a few,” he whispered against Dan’s lips.

“Fine!” Dan pouted and went back inside. 

Phil let out a sigh of relief seeing that Dan was in a better mood than he had arrived in. Despite the trip being Dan’s idea, he knew Dan used social media as a coping mechanism to avoid letting his mind going too far on the deep end; thus not having them at hand would make it difficult for him to relax. He had felt Dan’s shoulders tense and his hands fidget as soon as he was done putting his stuff away, looking around without knowing what to do, so Phil suggested he took a walk down to the stream only a few meters behind the trees and relax with a book.

After years of sharing his life with Dan, he was confident in knowing when his partner needed time alone and when he needed to be comforted, the same way Dan knew how to be there for him. Phil smiled as he heard Dan cursing in the kitchen; he couldn’t wait to spend a week with his favourite person in the entire world.

* * *

Dinner ran a bit late as they had to figure out an efficient way to work together in a tiny kitchen and hadn’t planned what they were making. Fortunately, the hard work was definitely worth it. Just as the sun started to set, they took everything outside and set the table at the deck area described on Airbnb as a reading nook. 

It looked more like a balcony of sorts with a big selection of cushions, lights, and a coffee table that could be tucked away if they wished to lay down fully. It was the perfect location for a romantic dinner and a movie and what had convinced Dan to rent this particular tiny house.

In reality, it wasn’t that much different than having dinner at home whilst watching TV, but the change of setting had changed their mood, how they moved, and even the volume of their voices. Everything felt more real; every touch, every kiss, every look, and they fully took advantage of that. 

After they had cleared the table and tucked it away, they settled down with two fluffy blankets and turned off the main exterior lights, leaving only the fairy lights on. Even the chirping of the crickets felt like a light hum on their skin.

They set Dan’s laptop on the blankets and selected a movie out of the classics section. ‘Ghost’ seemed like the perfect choice for the night. Sighing, Phil put an arm around Dan and gently brought him closer to him; a movement that came so naturally after years of relationship that they didn’t really notice anymore. Dan’s body instinctively moulded to Phil’s, seeking the warmth he provided. 

They laughed softly at some of the ridiculous aspects of the movie and chatted along about the potential existence of something beyond life itself. Neither of them was religious by any means, but Phil liked to believe that _this_ was not all the time he had left with Dan; that they would always be together, until time itself ceased to exist. 

Dan didn’t know what to believe, yet he couldn’t help but feel lucky about having found Phil. He couldn’t fathom the idea of another person just _fitting_ with him like Phil did. It felt right like no other thing in the world did. He didn’t know how to put the feelings coursing through him into words, nor did he want to. He knew it would make him feel too exposed, so he did the next best thing and kissed Phil trying to inject every emotion into it. He simply buried his fingers in Phil’s hair and imagined his lips saying everything he wanted to say but couldn’t, trying to imprint them into Phil’s mind through the kiss. 

At times, he felt like this, like there was just too much love for Phil trapped inside him, overwhelming him. It was not only about his own feelings either; he was in love with the way Phil loved him, completed him, and understood him in every way. He had been the first and only person to really _see_ him and care enough to learn every detail and quirk about him. Dan knew that no matter what would happen in the future with their careers, Phil would always be there with him. 

The wind blew a bit harder, making the night feel slightly colder, so Phil pulled the covers and wrapped around them a bit tighter. He sighed, smiling into the kiss. There were few things in the world that he cared about other than what he had right there with him. For almost ten years Dan had been his everything; his number one supporter in his every endeavour, the first person he had fallen in love with, his first boyfriend, his best friend and a part of his family. When Dan was with him, Phil felt like there was nothing in the world he couldn’t achieve; he felt invincible.

Together they were stronger and happier than they could ever be on their own. Phil’s favourite thing about their relationship was how different, yet complementary, their way of loving each other was. Dan often said that he wasn’t good with words, but that wasn’t true. He actually _was_ when his thoughts were in order instead of overflowing in his mind and overwhelming him. Dan said the most beautiful things without a hitch when Phil least expected them. In turn, Phil’s way of showing his love was more tactile. He could hardly spend half an hour without running his hand through Dan’s hair, casually touching his hand, kissing his cheek, tickling him, hugging him, or resting his face on Dan’s shoulder. It was almost as if he was afraid Dan would run off at any moment, although he knew that was not the case.

The movie had long ended when they decided to finally go to bed. They climbed up the stairs and laid in a similar fashion as they had been downstairs. They burrowed under the covers and sighed contently, looking out into the clear night, thousands of shining stars above undisturbed by city lights, and only the sounds of the forest to lull them to sleep. 

Dan turned to his boyfriend.

“Phil?”

“Mmmm?” Phil asked absentmindedly. 

“Do you ever think about what would have happened if we had never met?”

Phil turned, trying to look into his eyes in the dimly lit bedroom. “No. That’s not something I want to think about.”

Dan frowned. “Why not?”

“I don’t want to think of a reality where I don’t get to hug you every night or wake up next to you. I know that we might have still had made it to a place of contentment but _this_ , this is happiness and I don’t want to settle for anything else.” He ran his nose against Dan’s.

“Maybe you could have been happy with someone else, or gotten a better career; who knows.”

“I don’t like it when you do that. There’s nothing in the world more important to me than you. I would leave it all behind in the blink of an eye for you,” Phil said kissing the frown off of Dan’s face.

“I’m not having bad feelings, I promise. I just wonder sometimes, you know?” Dan sighed looking out the skylight again. “Do you think you would be able to live like this? With very few things and distractions, just the two of us?”

“Yes, of course,” Phil smiled. “Is this a very intricate way of asking if we can buy a tiny house?”

Dan laughed and swatted him on the arm. “No! But now that you mention it, Do you think we could? Just to spend time away sometimes.”

“I don’t see why not - as long as we make it actually two floors with head space. I wouldn’t want to crawl into bed every night we spend there. Now come here, no more thinking, only sleeping.”

“What happened to kissing?” Dan asked poking his tummy.

Phil rolled his eyes and giggled. “Fine, some kissing, then sleeping.”

“Phil?”

“Mmm?”

“I love you,” Dan whispered.

Phil rolled towards Dan and bit his shoulder softly. “I love you too.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr: [Succubusphan](http://Succubusphan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> In case you wish to reblog the fic: [Tumblr Link](https://succubusphan.tumblr.com/post/186476797596/loving-me-for-me/)
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!!!!


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